I had been wanting to try
skydiving for years and every so often I would mention it to my friends
and family. My girlfriend was the only one who had really been listening
and she set up a surprise present for my 25th birthday. She packed me an
overnight bag, hopped in the car, and told me to drive north from Miami
towards Orlando. I had no idea what she had in store for me but I was
very excited.

We checked in to a
Comfort Inn & Suites hotel, which had very comfy beds, but I was too
excited to sleep.

In the morning, I felt like a child going to his first
day of school since my girlfriend had to pick out my clothes because I
didn't know what was appropriate for the surprise event.

(To vicariously experience the rest of my
first skydiving experience scroll down to the images in the photo album
below this paragraph. Click on the picture thumbnails to view the full
sized photographs.)

It was only a short drive from the hotel to the Skydive Deland complex.

My
heart started racing and I broke out in a cold sweat when I realized what we
were both about to experience for the first time.

After we watched a brief
introduction
VHS video tape on the sport of
skydiving the staff asked us to sign a waiver form releasing them of all
liability for anything that might happen during our first tandem skydive
jump from over 14,000 feet and falling at 120mph towards the ground (GULP).

The planes available at the SkyDive Deland complex include the
DeHavilland Super Twin Otter, Pilatus Porter, and the plane we went on, the
Shorts Skyvan.

Over 20 people including
skydiving fanatics and first timers
like us were stacked into the plane's cargo bay.

To save space
you had to lean back into the lap of the person behind you and allow the
person in front of you to snuggle back between your legs.

Once the plane started to reach it's target altitude I began
to regret eating that tasty BLT sandwich from "The Perfect Spot Restaurant &
Bar."
I also was kicking myself for not remembering to chow down a Dramamine
motion sickness pill or two. (I need a Dramamine pill when I go fishing. How
could I have forgotten to take one for this skydiving trip?)

All the professionals, enthusiasts and beginner
skydiving students
jumped out of the plane first leaving my girl and I as the last jumpers to depart.
My girlfriend
had opted for the full photography and DVD video coverage of my tandem jump
but we asked to let her dive first so that the camera operator could capture
her jump and then he would follow me all the way down on my descent.

The moment came for my skydive and the tandem instructor didn't
give me a moment to even think about backing out. I just told myself to
relax
and fall out of the plane. Freefalling for about a minute above Deland was amazing. The
Florida wind was warm with cool wisps of clouds rushing by every few
seconds. My cheeks were flapping and undulating like a chubby guy in one of
those old vibrating belt exercise machines.

I heard the skydiving instructor
tell me to brace myself against the straps as he was about to pull the cord
to release the parachute.

(It was at
this moment that I was glad he specifically mentioned to move my male equipment
away from the straps that flanked either side of my groin.)

The
force of the parachute decelerating us was quite impressive, exhilarating
and a touch scary since my shoulder slipped out of the top strap.

Gliding down with the
parachute open was peaceful until my tandem jump instructor began doing high g-force roller
coaster like
turns,
which I'm sure he thought I was enjoying but it made my already slightly
nauseous stomach feel worse.

If I had taken the Dramamine I would have probably been delighted and
thrilled by the fast loops and curves he would initiate by pulling hard on
the parachute's handles. It was easy to talk while gliding down so I asked
him to take it easy. since I didn't want to get sick and ruin the day of any
cheery skydiving enthusiasts on the ground below us.

Finally we landed right on target into the large circular
gravel pit where my girlfriend was already awaiting my arrival. Drained by
the
experience, I stayed on the ground for a few seconds until the instructor
unhooked me from the parachute backpack and gave me a firm pat on the
shoulder.

I highly recommend that everyone experience the thrill of
skydiving at least once in their lives. But don't get hooked unless you've
got $$$
since it
is a very
expensive hobby. I would definitely go skydiving again to accompany a friend
or family member who was experiencing a tandem jump for
the first time.